Will a man leave the prison when he knows he will be carried to execution? Oh, no; he had rather be in the dungeon still. So for those with guilt on the soul and no assurance of salvation; they would...  Read More

Paul laboured to keep a good conscience in all things. 'Herein I exercise myself, to have a good conscience towards God and men' (Acts 24:16). It is easy for a man to desire to depart, who has his co...  Read More

We see that God reserves the best for the last. God's last works are his best works. The new heaven and the new earth are the best; the second wine that Christ created himself was the best; spiritual...  Read More

May a good Christian fear death? I answer, 'No,’ so far as a Christian is led with the Spirit of God and is truly spiritual; for the Spirit carries us upward. But as far as we are earthly and carnal,...  Read More

Heaven is not heaven without Christ. It is better to be in any place with Christ than to be in heaven itself without him. Paul loved to see Christ, to embrace him, and enjoy him that had done so much...  Read More

I desire to depart. There must be a parting and a departing; there must be a parting in this world with all outward excellencies, from the sweet enjoyment of the creatures; there must be a departing ...  Read More

Paul's soul was as a ship, between two winds, tossed up and down, and as iron between two loadstones, drawn first one way, then another; the one loadstone was his own good, to be in heaven; the other...  Read More

The soul continues after death. In Numbers 23:10, Balaam wishes to die the death of the righteous, not for anything excellent in their deaths, but regarding the existence and continuance of their sou...  Read More

The righteous die in the same manner outwardly as the wicked do. For Christ, in his first coming, came not to redeem our bodies from death, but our souls from damnation. His second coming will be to ...  Read More

Like the fire of the sanctuary that never went out, so is the affection of love for God, that if it be once kindled in the heart it will never go out. It is a kind of miracle in reverse when we love ...  Read More

It may be asked again, as indeed we see it is true, what is the reason that sometimes lowly, simple Christians have more loving souls than great scholars? One would think that knowledge should increa...  Read More

Oh, let us labour to have this affection of love planted in our hearts; that God by his Spirit would teach us to love him. It is not a matter of the brain to teach. God only is the great schoolmaster...  Read More

(4) Where the true affection of love to God is, it stirs up the soul to do all things that may please him. Isaac's sons saw that their father loved venison, therefore they provided venison for him (G...  Read More

(3) It is in the nature of love to place contentment in the thing we desire. Now we may know if God is our contentment by the inward quiet and peace of the soul in all conditions. He is able to satis...  Read More

(2) Where there is true love and affection, there is a desire of union. Love is that kind of affection; it draws the soul all it can to the thing loved. If there be the love of God, there will be a d...  Read More

(1) There must be an esteem of God and Christ. A high esteeming and prizing of God and his love above all things in the world. a. This valuing is known by choice. What a man esteems and values highly...  Read More

It is impossible for a man, if he be not truly renewed, to desire heaven. He may wish for it under the notion of a kingdom, a pleasure, or the like; but as heaven containing a state of perfect holine...  Read More

Let us comfort ourselves in all the slightings of the world. A man that has great hopes in his own country, if he be slighted abroad, he thinks to himself, I will have a different manner of respect w...  Read More

We must humble ourselves and say with the psalmist, 'Lord, what is man, that you are mindful of him?' (Psa. 84). We who lost our first condition and betrayed you; yet you have advanced us to the stat...  Read More

Reasons why God hides from us the glory that will be. We must be modest when we speak of God's counsels and courses. (1) God will have a difference between the warring church and the triumphing churc...  Read More

What a pity, that God should give us our understandings for better things than we can see or hear in this world, yet we employ them in things of the world wholly. Let us not do as some shallow, proud...  Read More

If eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor has entered into the heart of man to conceive those things that God has prepared for him, then let us make this the rule of our esteem of anything that is good...  Read More

Here is direction on how to read and study holy truths, especially the sacred mysteries of the gospel. We think to break into them with the engine of our intelligence, and to understand them, and nev...  Read More

There are three degrees of revelation. (1) There must be a revelation of the things themselves, by word, writing, speech, and the like. There must be a revelation of these things, or else we could ne...  Read More